sekarreporter1: justices G Jayachandran and PD Audikesavalu with regard to the alleged inaction of authorities in preventing the illegal disposal of biomedical waste from Kerala in Tamil Nadu. [2/18, 07:43] sekarreporter1: MADURAI: The Tamil Nadu government recently told the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court that it is taking steps to expand the description of ‘Goonda’ under the Tamil Nadu Act No 14 of

[2/18, 07:42] sekarreporter1: justices G Jayachandran and PD Audikesavalu with regard to the alleged inaction of authorities in preventing the illegal disposal of biomedical waste from Kerala in Tamil Nadu.
[2/18, 07:43] sekarreporter1: MADURAI: The Tamil Nadu government recently told the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court that it is taking steps to expand the description of ‘Goonda’ under the Tamil Nadu Act No 14 of 1982 so that those who illegally transport untreated biomedical waste to the state from cross-border districts could also be detained under the Act.

The state health secretary stated so in a report filed by him, on behalf of the TN chief secretary, in a contempt petition pending before a bench of justices G Jayachandran and PD Audikesavalu with regard to the alleged inaction of authorities in preventing the illegal disposal of biomedical waste from Kerala in Tamil Nadu.

According to the report, the above suggestion is said to have been given to the government by the advocate general, who opined that the issue is ‘quite alarming and poses a serious health hazard situation in Tamil Nadu’. The government is taking action to implement the said suggestion, the secretary said.

Further elaborating on the measures being taken, the secretary told the court that the TN chief secretary had written to his counterpart in Kerala on January 23, 2023, requesting to review the existing biomedical treatment infrastructure and initiate punitive action against all those illegally engaging in dumping of biomedical waste across the border in Tamil Nadu without scientific treatment.

While Tamil Nadu already has district-level monitoring committees to check biomedical waste management, which has eight members with the district collector as the chairperson, the health department passed a GO on February 9, 2023, for appointing five more members to the committee. It also issued instructions that the committee should meet at least once a month and send periodical reports to the government.

Adequate checkposts and security arrangements with surveillance through CCTV have been made available in the border districts, namely the Nilgiris, Tiruppur, Dindigul, Theni, Virudhunagar, Tenkasi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari, the health secretary further said.

A total of nine FIRs have been registered against such offenders in Tenkasi from 2022 to 2023, while four FIRs were registered in Coimbatore between 2018 and 2022, the report added. The case has been adjourned to March 1.

While Tamil Nadu already has district-level monitoring committees to check biomedical waste management, the health department passed a GO on February 9 for appointing five more members to the panel